Hey, friends! Today I’m back with another reading challenge post and this time it’s for the Choose Your Own Adventure: Year in Aeldia Magical Readathon 2023 Challenge. I find it hard to keep up with all the different challenges so despite following and being subscribed to the Magical Readathon on Twitter and YouTube, I still somehow missed this announcement.
Hello, friends! I’m back with a blog tour review for Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim. Special thanks to the TBR & Beyond Tours team for organising the tour and including me in it!
Thanks to Delacorte Press for providing a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Click here or on the banner above to check out the rest of the fantastic bloggers on tour!
Spice Road (The Spice Road Trilogy #1)
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publication Date: 24 January 2023
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Rep: Middle Eastern, Arabian, Lebanese
Panda Rating:
(4 pandas)
The first book in an epic fantasy series for fans of Sabaa Tahir, Hafsah Faizal and Elizabeth Lim, set in an Arabian-inspired land. Raised to protect her nation from the monsters lurking in the sands, seventeen-year-old Imani must fight to find her brother whose betrayal is now their greatest threat.
In the hidden desert city of Qalia, secret spice magic awakens affinities in those who drink the misra tea. With an affinity for iron, seventeen-year-old Imani wields a dagger like no other warrior, garnering her the reputation as the next greatest Shield for battling the dangerous djinn, ghouls, and other monsters that lurk in the sands beyond city limits.
Her reputation has been overshadowed, however, by her brother who tarnished the family name after he was discovered stealing their nation’s coveted spice – a tell-tale sign of magical obsession. He disappeared soon after, believed to have died beyond the Forbidden Wastes, and leaving Imani reeling with both betrayal and grief.
But when Imani uncovers evidence her brother may be alive and spreading their nation’s magic beyond the desert, she strikes a deal with the Council to find him and bring him back to Qalia before he can reveal the city’s location. Accompanied by Qayn, a roguish but handsome djinni, and Taha, a powerful beastseer whose magical talents are matched only by his arrogance, they set out on their mission.
Imani will soon discover there are many secrets that lie beyond the Forbidden Wastes – and in her own heart – but will she find her brother before his betrayals endanger the fate of all of Qalia?
In this epic and action-packed fantasy, one young heroine navigates the treacherous road between protecting the ones you love and staying loyal to the place you call home.
Colonialism, slave labour, brutality/cruelty, gladiator/ring fighting, prison labour, death, public hangings, sexual assault/attempted r*pe (not to main character), bullying
Note: The quotes below are taken from an advanced copy and are subject to change in the final version.
TL;DR: Spice Road is a book that I’m glad I was patient with because, despite a bit of a rough start, it really pulled through for me in the end! The world-building was descriptive and vivid, the atmosphere was tense, and the story unfolded at a fast pace. I loved the development of our main character, Imani, the most though. What had the potential to ruin a great read with an unsympathetic main character, was saved by realistic gradual growth and it made the second half of this book so much more enjoyable to read! There were a few twists and turns at the end that only served to increase the intensity of the story and now that I’m invested, I can’t wait to get my hands on book two to see what happens next! 😍
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Happy Friday book lovers! We’re back with another First Lines Friday, a weekly feature for book lovers hosted by Wandering Words. What if instead of judging a book by its cover, its author or its prestige, we judged it by its opening lines? Here are the rules:
Resting Witch Face (Stay a Spell #5)
Publisher: Juliette Cross Publishing, LLC
Pub Date: 31 October 2022
Genre: Adult Paranormal Romance
Panda Rating:
(5 pandas)
Twelve years ago, Jules Savoie ended her relationship with the vampire overlord of New Orleans, Ruben Dubois. For good reasons. A woman in power must often make sacrifices to protect others. She knows the truth of it down to her aching heart.
When Ruben watches his best friend Devraj get married, a stinging realization hits him hard…he’s done waiting. They say time heals all wounds. In this case, it merely sharpened the pain and made one fact crystal clear. Jules Savoie is his soulmate, and nothing would keep him from her. Not anymore.
Forced to work side by side to fight for the werewolf cause, they campaign together at covens from New Orleans to London. The reignited spark burns hotter than ever before. But when a power-hungry vampire sets his predatory sights on Jules, will their love be strong enough against black magic? Or will he lose her again? And this time, maybe…for good.
Violence, on-page sex (including orgy scenes, MCs do not participate), drugging, kidnapping, torture, assault, sexist behaviour
*This review was first posted to Goodreads in December 2022*
TL;DR: You know how I said that Always Practice Safe Hex was my favourite book in this series? Well, I lied, cos it’s just been ousted by Resting Witch Face (sorry Gareth and Livvy, you’ll always be faves though)! Ruben and Jules are E V E R Y T H I N G!!! These two were so incredibly precious and sweet and beyond deserving of their HEA—what a journey they went through to get to where they are in this book. I loved their story so much!
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Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:
We’re back with another Top Ten Tuesday, a weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl.
This week’s topic is New-to-Me Authors I Discovered in 2022 (If you didn’t read books by 10 new authors, share new-to-you authors whose books you added to your TBR in 2022. Get creative, if needed!).
Always Practice Safe Hex (Stay a Spell #4)
Pub Date: 24 May 2022
Genre: Adult Paranormal Romance
Panda Rating:
(5 pandas)
There’s a reason no one messes with a grim…
Livvy Savoie is a people person. Not only does she have the magical gift of persuasion, but her natural charisma charms everyone she meets. She hasn’t met a person she didn’t like. Until her annoyingly brilliant competitor walks through the door. No matter how hard she denies it, loathing isn’t the only emotion she feels for him.
Grim reaper Gareth Blackwater is rarely, if ever, moved beyond his broody, stoic state. But the witch he’s partnered with in the public relations contest is destroying his peace of mind. He’s convinced that the flesh-melting attraction he feels for her is merely her witchy magic at work.
But forced proximity proves there is more than magic sparking between them. Livvy learns this enigmatic grim’s abilities are beyond any supernatural she has ever known. And when Livvy becomes the obsessive target of a dangerous wizard, Gareth proves just how powerful he truly is. Because no one is going to hurt his Lavinia.
Sexual harrassment (on-page), sexual assault (on-page), child abuse, light BDSM
*This review was first posted to Goodreads on November 2022*
TL;DR: This series honestly keeps getting better and this group of supernaturals feels more like family with every book I read and I WANT MORE. These books definitely play into the paranormal romance ‘mate’ trope but I love the way Juliette Cross writes it. There’s so much tenderness, heart and emotional vulnerability in these characters and their romance that it makes it easy to fall in love with them and to root for their HEA. Livvy and Gareth were absolute FIRE! 🥵 Their tension and chemistry were so intense that I was sure my Kindle would malfunction! 😂 I loved every moment of their story and their playlist was absolute PERFECTION and suited them to a T!
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Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme created by Rukky @Eternity Books and hosted by Aria @Book Nook Bits, and it’s where we get to discuss certain topics, share our opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts! If you want to join in the bookish discussion fun, check out the January 2023 prompts!
Now without further ado… The topic asks us about:
(SUGGESTED BY ZAHRA THE OWL)
Prompts: Do you enjoy collecting books? Do you feel like physical books are overpriced? Do you buy books after you’ve read them to add to your collection? Do you buy special edition collector sets? How invested are you in your book collection?
Hey friends, I hope the week is treating you right. One sleep ’til Friday and two sleeps ’til the weekend—let’s go! ✨
Today I’m doing a tag that I saw Elli @AceReader post a few days ago and though I’m usually terrible at matching songs to books and vice versa, I couldn’t resist giving this a try. I’m also hoping to participate in the Sound of Madness reading challenge this year so I thought this could be a good warm-up to that!
The idea of this challenge is to put your 2022 playlist on shuffle, and for the first five songs, you need to pick a book you read in 2022 that fits that song. It doesn’t have to be a perfect fit. You just have to explain why you chose that book for that song.
Edit: Thanks to Jennifer @My Book Joy for finding the original creator of this tag: Rosina @Lace and Dagger Books!
This tag is also going to spotlight what a basic pop junkie I am but that’s OK—I’m living my best life! 😂 I’m also choosing matching books limited to my 2022 reads, so that should make it more fun, lol. On that note…
Read More » Hello, hello and welcome back to another episode of WWW Wednesday, a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World of Words, which means I’ll be answering these questions:
dinipandareads 